Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Gender and gender roles can be a hot-topic issue and its one I have
very strong opinions on. I will try and keep the tone of this post both light
and focused on writing. However I am not going to shy away from forthrightness
and some of you may find the issues I am raising confronting. Particularly if
you are a traditionalist.

If you think you are superior to anyone else because of what you have
in your underwear, you're probably going to disagree with what I have to say
here.

And if you do suffer that sort of bias, in my opinion, you shouldn't be
writing. Take up stamp collecting or something. We don't want you.

Female population percentages

Women make up more than 50% of the population on the planet. However
when you look at non primary characters on TV shows, books and movies, you will
see they are not 50% female. Most of us are conditioned to default to 'male'.
Which is ironic when you consider that all human foetuses start female.

I make a conscious effort to make half of my minor characters female in
gender neutral situations (EG: not monasteries/convents, gender specific
schools, etc). However when I do so, I feel that far too many characters are
female. Because none of us are used to seeing 50% of characters as females. Even
when I tally the numbers and can see there is a 50/50 split, it still feels
like an overwhelming number of women. We all have these biases and in most
cases they are unintentional. Which is why I felt it was necessary to dedicate
an entire blog post to this topic.

The Bechdel Test

The Bechdel Test was coined in 1985 by Alison Bechdel. To pass the test
a book/movie/TV show episode needs to feature two named female characters, who
talk to each other about something other than a man.

A little googling on this issue will probably depress you. Many of your
favourite shows and books will not pass this seemingly simple test. And once
you are aware of it, the repeated failure of entertainment to pass it will make
you even more depressed.

That said, there are several flaws with The Bechdel Test. Firstly, it's
not exactly the benchmark for equality, as most lesbian porn passes with flying
colours. Secondly, it can be really hard to pass the test of you're writing
from a male POV only, as it means he needs to witness, but not contribute to,
women talking.

However if your title character is a woman and she never talks to
another woman except to discuss men, you have a serious problem.

Historical Misrepresentation Of
Women

Historians and archaeologists are only human and just like you and me,
they are products of their society. Their biases and assumptions coloured their
findings. Now some slightly less bias scientists are re-examining a lot of old
remains and seeing the roles played by men and women in ancient societies were
quite different to what we initially thought.

My point here is don’t assume anything. Research, and make sure you are
looking at contemporary papers. Just like now, women have always been capable
of the same things as men. They were warriors, leaders, killers, farmers,
adventurers and monsters. They were rarely quiet little mothers.

Sexist Society VS Sexist Authors

When you are writing about a sexist society, someone is going to be
oppressed. This is human nature and we are all, at the heart of it, trying to
explore human nature. However there is a big difference between writing about a
sexist society and presenting people in a sexist way.

Maybe in your story, one of the men is a rapist. That's not sexist.
However if the overall message f the story is that ALL men are rapists because
it's a part of their nature, then you're sexist. You the author, not your characters.

Non Traditional Genders and
Sexualities

If you are writing about a gender identity or sexuality that is alien
to you, please research appropriately. No one is a stereotype. No minority is a
punch line. If your cross-dressers are all flaming and sassy and your lesbians
all hate men, you are what’s wrong with society.

Also, sexuality and gender are only a fraction of what makes up a whole
person. So if a character’s identity centres on either of these things, you
have failed.

If you are researching a different identity, I am going to make three
suggestions:

1. Read a variety of blogs/forums/articles written by RANGE of people.
Not just one.

2. See if you can find some unbias documentaries. You’ll be surprised
how many there are. I’ve collected a few hundred documentaries on human
sexuality and gender identity, because it interests me.

3. Try and meet and spend time with some people who identify as what
you wish to write about. Not to talk to them about their sexuality or gender—it’s
none of your goddamn business—but just to see what they’re like in the other
99% of their lives.

Choosing the Right Gender

Take the time to consider every single character and if they should be
male or female. Particularly the minor ones, as they tend to be the ones we
default to male. The gender of your main characters will depend on the role you
want them to have in society, your target audience and your own vision of them
and what story you want to tell, among other things.

However it is always worth considering how the story and characters
would be different if their genders were reversed. I often watch movies or TV
shows and wish certain roles had been cast with the other gender, without
changing anything else. Sometimes, switching a gender takes a character that
would be cliché and unappealing and makes them innovative and interesting.

Reconsider your love interests, your sidekicks, your grizzled old
veterans at bars. Reconsider the roles you think genders play. Write them as
one gender, then change it in editing. Pass the Bechdel test.

Responsibility As An Author

I think people who create entertainment have a responsibility not to be
assholes. Art reflects society and society reflects art. If you tell someone to
be ashamed, they will be. If you show them heroes doing the right thing, they
will want to do the right thing too.

Make your rapists villains. Make your women worthy of respect. Make
your heroes compassionate and open minded. No character has to be perfect and
not every word on the page is a war against bigotry—just make sure you are
giving the young men and women today the message you want them to have.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Tips on designing awesome, balls-to-the-wall, memorable characters.
Then some tips for making those awesome characters actually fit in to the
setting you created for them.

Names:

Character names need to fit the setting, be easy to remember and easy
to differentiate from other characters. I try to give characters names that
start with different letters of the alphabet, so the reader only has to see the
first letter to know who I am referring to.

Ages:

If you are writing for people under 25, your character ages are
probably going to be dictated by your target audience. There are plenty of
exceptions to this rule. However, generally speaking, children and teenagers
like to read about people their age or a little older. Reading and watching TV
shows is how we gauge our own lives. We are learning about life from
entertainment.

Which is where the whole ‘life imitating art, or art imitating life’
argument comes from.

If you are not writing for new/young adults, teens or children, you
need to ask yourself what experience your character needs to have and what
physical capabilities. A twenty year old is not going to have a vast knowledge
and world-weary attitude. If your plot and conflict calls for that, your main
character is going to need to be in her forties, or even fifties. On the other
hand, a fifty year old is not likely to act like a teenager—fifty years is a
lot of experience. So if you need a ditz, you probably need someone in their
twenties. Or a hippy.

Gender:

I am going to expand on gender considerably in the next post. However I
will say this: You should be able to switch most of your characters genders without
it affecting them as a person. Sometimes there may be society limits on gender
(EG: females not being allowed to serve in the military), however if the
character’s personality, interests and behaviour are central to their gender,
you haven’t created a character, you’ve created a stereotype. Also, you’re
sexist.

Appearance:

Character appearance may be important to you, but the reader is usually
only interested in how it impacts the story. Impact on the story is what you
should pay attention to when planning this and that will often revolve around
cultural bias and bigotry. Sexism, racism, ageism, fat shaming, the perks of
being attractive, the shame we experience being crippled.

While you need to make a note of hair colour and height so it remains
consistent, in the text you should focus on two or three defining features (round
glasses, black hair, a lightning bolt-shaped scar) and let the readers build
the rest themselves.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

I’ll let you in on a secret. Every trait a person can have can be good
or bad. Any strength you think you have can also be a weakness. Any weakness
you have can also be a strength. Sometimes they are both and that’s critical to
writing good characters.

What is leadership in one is bossiness in another. What is loud and
brash to one is enthusiasm to another. What is compassionate to one is
soft-hearted and weak to another.

So when you are giving your character strengths and weaknesses, make
them the same thing. Fun loving, but irresponsible. A good leader, but bossy. A
skilled fighter, but aggressive. Intelligent, but impractical. (Yes, I did just
list the traits of the teenage mutant ninja turtles.)

Interests, hobbies and skills:

Character interests can fall into three categories: relevant to the
plot, relevant to the subplot, used to give the character depth. When you are
developing their character sheet and considering this options, try and keep
those three things in mind. Don’t just give them hobbies and skills you wish
you had, consider how it will affect the plot and sub-plot and what it the reader
will think of those skills—how they will affect their perception of the
character.

A nice little quirk that is the opposite to the rest of their character
can be nice. EG: A hardened soldier who has also learned to sew or a reckless,
drunken mercenary who has a natural talent for cooking. Maybe even a shy,
bespeckled boy who is aggressively competitive at tennis.

Skills they have been forced to learn, but don’t really enjoy, can also
be interesting. Such as characters who have been pushed into sports or academics
by overly passionate parents. Remember to make a note of what they are really
terrible at too. When I was writing Lifesphere Inc I was constantly forgetting
Eli couldn’t read. It’s amazing what you take for granted.

Setting, Rooms and Tools:

A bedroom has a skateboard and posters of rock stars. There are playboy
magazines stuffed under the mattress of the single bed and superhero figurines
lined up on the window sill.

You open a handbag. You find red lipstick, two flip knives, gum, a
black phone, pepper spray, a stack of phone numbers on scraps of paper—most
with men’s names. There are recipes from high end restaurants. There is a
police ID badge.

You can tell a lot about a character from their room and their
possessions. They tell a story all on their own, without the character saying a
word—without them even being present. When you are developing a character, make
a note of the things they own, the space they’ve claimed, and the clothes they
own.

It should all go in their profile somewhere and it can be a powerful
character building tool, if applied in the right way.

Upbringing and History/Social
Pressures:

What is nature and what is nurture? When we have unlocked mysteries of
the human mind entirely, there will probably be no further need for fiction. However
for now, you need to consider the effects of both on character development and
behaviour.

Imagine for a moment, your character is gay. For the sake of argument,
we are considering this a nature trait—one hard coded into the DNA and brain
wiring before a baby is born. Now consider how their personality and actions
will be affected if they are born into a society where homosexuality is a
perversion and a sin—something punishable by death and ostracisation? Now
imagine that same character born into a futuristic society where overcrowding
is a problem, where homosexuals have equal rights, are old news and are even
preferred, as they are less likely to create more babies.

How will living in fear of being exposed for who they love affect your
character’s personality? How will they be different in a world where no one
notices or even cares who they love?

Every single one of us is put under pressure to confirm to society: who
to love, who to marry, how many children to have, what age to have them, what
sort of jobs are acceptable, what to eat, what to wear, how to look, how to
worship. They’re often so ingrained into our upbringing, we are unaware of most
of them. We accept them as ‘normal human behaviour’ without considering the
thousands of cultures before us that lived differently.

Sometimes, being a good author comes from being self aware. Then
writing the worst parts down.

Motivation/Conflicts/Fears:

I covered this extensively in the last post. However keep in mind your
motives, conflicts and fears not only need to reflect and propel the plot, but they
have to be suitable for the character. A seventeen year old is more likely to
be driven by the idea of becoming a famous rock star than they are by leaving a
legacy for their grandchildren.

A Cohesive Package:

A character, major or minor, has to be a cohesive whole. Their
interests, motives, environment, strengths, weaknesses and the society they
come from all need to come together in a logical and coherent way. Just picking
traits at random to make a character more interesting (or God forbid, more like
how you wish you were) will not result in a memorable and beloved character.

Nor will just cloning the characters you love created by other people.

Exercise:

Write one to two paragraphs with no characters, no names and no
dialogue describing the bedrooms of the following:

My Links

About Me

Born in 1985, Talitha is a geeky Australian writer who spends an unhealthy amount of time reading and watching horror movies. She also loves fresh water shrimps and snakes, and lives in a house dominated by various tanks housing both. She advises that shrimps are the best companions for writers; as they always look like they are typing. Snakes, on the other hand, simply knock everything off your desk—including keyboards, mugs, entire computers and shrimp tanks.
Talitha’s other interests include entomology, rock climbing, reading, web design, photography and video gaming.